Kit History
Eintracht Braunschweig's Jägermeister Crest-Swap — The Deal That Legalized Kit Sponsorship
1973Eintracht Braunschweig
Published 2026-05-31
Exhibit Narrative
Braunschweig officially replaced their club crest with the Jägermeister stag logo — the DFB couldn't stop a club from wearing its own crest, and kit sponsorships were legalized seven months later.
In 1973, German club Eintracht Braunschweig sought to secure a sponsorship deal with liquor company Jägermeister. However, the German Football Association (DFB) strictly banned commercial advertising on player kits, permitting only the club's official crest to be displayed. To bypass this restriction, Braunschweig's board voted to officially replace the club's traditional lion crest with the Jägermeister stag logo. Unable to prevent the club from displaying its own crest, the DFB was forced to permit the design. Seven months later, recognizing the commercial opportunities of the practice, the DFB officially legalized kit sponsorships, establishing a key milestone in football commercialization. The clever legal workaround turned a single club's ambition into an industry-wide revolution.
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